Marriage Celebration

2001 E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape, $87
Sandemans’ 40 year tawny, $24.50/glass
Grahams 1994 vintage port, $21.50/glass
(restaurant prices)
Shane’s Notes

Jen and I got married on June 14th in a civil ceremony at the city hall in San Francisco. To celebrate our nuptials, we had dinner at the Sundance Steakhouse in Palo Alto.

The wine list was good but not great. Jen decided to have the Fillet Mignon while I went with a massive slab of Prime Rib. We perused the wine list searching for an affordable, food friendly red. We went with the 2001 Guigal from Chateauneuf. When I gave our order to the waiter, he drew a blank. He confessed to having trouble with French names and opened the wine list so I could point out our selection to him. He opened the wine list to the Bordeaux section. Shouldn’t a waiter at fancy restaurant know that a Chateauneuf is a Rhone?

For Rhones, we have mostly been drinking Gigondas, so I was curious to taste a Chateauneuf. This one was quite a contrast to a Gigondas. It was more refined and elegant and not as fruit forward. It was like drinking a Gigondas light. The palate showed similar Giggy flavors – violets and lavendar – just more subtle. We really enjoyed it.

We splurged on our dessert wines. Jen had the Sandemans’s 40 year tawny and I had the Graham’s 1994 vintage port. I’m not a fan of tawnies, but this 40 year tawny was amazing. I always figured a 40 year tawny would suffer from too much age but I was wrong. It had a massive buttery, nutty flavor and was extremely smooth. It just might be the best tawny we’ve had.

I went with the 94 Grahams over the 85 Taylor, because I prefer relatively young wines. I like the complexity that comes with age but I’ll give up some complexity for a more vibrant palate. This one did not disappoint. It was a bit tannic and the palate had a wonderful, concentrated, brown sugar flavor. It is one of the better vintage ports I’ve drunk. For my palate, it is near its peak right now.